Radio Astronomy Explorer

RAE-B in lunar orbit

The payload fairing is installed around the RAE-B.

The Radio Astronomy Explorers ( RAE ) were two spacecraft in the Explorer program that explored radio sources in space: specifically the sun, planets and galaxy. The first Radio Astronomy Explorer was a satellite and the second was a space probe that orbited the moon and could measure over its back, undisturbed by terrestrial radio emissions.

RAE-A

RAE-A (Explorer 38) was a satellite that examined radio emissions in the frequency range from 0.2 to 20 MHz. RAE-A weighed 193 kg and was gravitationally stabilized . He had two V-antennas, 229 m long, one of which protruded towards the earth and the other vertically into space. Another 36.6 m long dipole antenna was aligned tangentially to the earth's surface. The missile was launched on July 4, 1968 at 17:31 UTC with a Delta-J rocket into an almost circular retrograde orbit with an inclination of 120.6 ° between 5851 km and 5861 km altitude. RAE-A had four instruments on board and consumed 25 W.

RAE-B

RAE-B (Explorer 49) was placed in orbit around the moon and examined radio emissions in a frequency range from 25 kHz to 13.1 MHz. He also had two 229 m long V-antennas. One pointed perpendicular to the moon, and the other protruded perpendicularly into space and another 37 m long dipole antenna was aligned parallel to the lunar surface. To suppress vibrations from the spacecraft, the RAE-B had a 129 m long vibration damper. RAE-B was cylindrical, 79 cm high and 92 cm in diameter. The 328 kg RAE-B was launched on June 10, 1973 at 14:13 UTC by a Delta 1913 rocket in an escape path to the moon, which it reached on June 15, 1973. After the ignition of its solid-state brake engine, the weight had dropped to 200 kg, and the Explorer orbited the moon at an altitude of 1053 to 1064 km with an orbit inclination of 55.7 °. However, unlike the RAE-A, the antennas were gradually extended so that the dipole antennas did not reach their full length until November 1974. RAE-B worked until August 1977.

literature

• JK Alexander et al .: Scientific Instrumentation of the Radio Astronomy Explorer-2 Satellite. In: Astronomy & Astrophysics 40, pp. 365-371. bibcode : 1975A & A .... 40..365A

Web links

• RAE in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
• Explorer: RAE-A
• Explorer: RAE-B
• Explorer in lunar orbit

Individual evidence

1. ↑ RAE-A in the NSSDCA Master Catalog , accessed August 1, 2014.
2. ↑ RAE-B in the NSSDCA Master Catalog, accessed August 1, 2014.